Applying Decals:
By Joe Czapiga
The art of applying thin film wet decals to models is
one that only gets better with practice. If at first you
don't succeed, try and try again. Patience and
persistency will allow you to produce models that look
as good, if not better than the models in all your
favorite magazines. I am sure many people have many
different methods of applying decals successfully. The
methods I use were mostly developed by trial and error
and lots of query at every hobby shop I've gone to.
As for the myth that you won't be able to produce a
great looking model until you have 20 years of
experience, forget it. I have always loved trains, but I
have only been a modeler for about three years. It has
only been about one year since I decided to try custom
painting and decaling.
If you have never tried to apply thin film decals
before, your first experience will probably be one of
impatience and frustration. These decals are very
delicate and can be ruined very easily. For your first
project, I recommend practicing with simple decal jobs
which do not require strict alignment in order to look
good. Usually, rolling stock such as box cars (smooth
sided), covered hoppers, etc. have pretty simple paint
schemes. Many are only one or two colors. Stay away from
thin, long, longitudinal lines on the long hood of a
locomotive such as the GATX units you see on the St.
Lawrence & Atlantic. Even the most experienced modeler
can have difficulties with these.
Applying decals also requires some special tools. What I
mean by special tools is you probably have them in your
hobby tool box but might not think they would be used to
apply decals. Here is a list of tools & supplies I have
within arms reach when I apply decals to a model:
1) A shallow bowl filled about 1/2 way with luke
warm water.
2) Scissors (preferably small to medium size).
3) Hobby knife.
4) 2 small detailing paint brushes.
5) Solvaset (decal setting fluid).
6) Bath tissue or Kleenex (NOT paper towels).
7) 2 No.2 Pencils with an eraser.
8) Cross locking tweezers.
9) Decals.
10) Prototype photos (if you have any).
After you have all these items together you're ready to
apply decals. If by now you don't have a model to decal,
it would probably be a good time to get one. Decals
stick the easiest to glossy finishes. They will stick to
dull finishes just as well but are much harder to work
with on this type of surface. The decals don't slide
into place as easily making it much more critical to
place them almost exactly where they need to be with
little or no adjustment. Because of this it may be more
difficult to remove any air bubbles under the decal.
First time decalers should choose something with a
glossy finish. Glossy paint or clear gloss coat work
equally well.
The first thing to do is to get all your tools listed
above and your model and set them up on a clean flat
surface with good lighting. Make sure you have plenty of
room to spread out your tools so they can be easily
reached if you need them quickly. Make sure you wash
your hands thoroughly before you start.
Next, choose a decal you would like to apply. At this
step it is a good idea to know what type of decal you
are about to apply. I am familiar of two different
types; Type One is printed on a plain old sheet of decal
paper, and Type Two has each individual decal printed on
decal film which is then applied to the paper backing.
With Type One you must trim as close as possible to the
design of the decal you are going to apply, otherwise
the excess may become visible when it dries on the
model. Type Two decals can be cut as close or as far
away from the design as you like. Whichever type you
have, cut the selected decal from the sheet and place it
on the model where you would like it to be. Lining
things up and visualizing what you want to do before you
put the decal in the water is very important. Once you
put the decal in the water, things can get difficult.
Third, you will want to wet the area where the decal
will sit with some of the warm water. Use your
paintbrush for this. Wetting this area will help reduce
air bubbles under the decal and help you maneuver the
decal into place. When you become more experienced at
applying decals, you may use the Solvaset to wet the
area instead of water. There is an advantage and a
disadvantage to using Solvaset instead of water. Using
water allows you unlimited time in adjusting and lining
up your decal where you would like it, but does not
eliminate air bubbles under the decal (it only helps to
minimize). Using Solvaset eliminates air bubbles almost
entirely, BUT, and I stress BUT, you only have about 20
seconds (maximum) before the Solvaset softens the decal
making it almost impossible to maneuver.
Now you may take your decal and place it in the water. I
usually hold the decal with cross-locking tweezers as I
place it in the water. Sometimes it is difficult to
retrieve a decal, especially if it is small, from the
bowl of water if you just toss it in. After about 15-30
seconds you should be able to move the decal around on
the paper backing. If not put it back in the water for
about 10 seconds more. Once you can move it, place the
decal and paper backing (do not remove the decal from
the backing yet) on your index finger. Remove the
cross-lock tweezers, slide the decal just a tiny bit to
the opposite side of the hand your tweezers are in, and
re-apply the tweezers to the backing paper ONLY. Now you
have the backing paper and a decal which is free to
slide in any direction you would like.
Position the model so you can place the edge of the
decal on the model. Then hold that edge to the model
with your paintbrush and slide the decal paper backing
away. Try to keep the decal as close to the model as
possible while pulling the backing paper.
Once you have removed the backing paper, use your
paintbrush to position the decal. Pushing on the edges
of the decal is most effective. You may also use the
eraser of a No.2 Pencil to move the decal around.
REMEMBER, if you used Solvaset instead of water to wet
your surface, you MUST work fast. Position the decal
where you would like it to be. Try to push out any air
bubbles under the decal by rolling the bristles of the
paintbrush to the outer edge of the decal. After all of
the air bubbles have been removed, very gently brush on
Solvaset sparingly while not moving the position of the
decal. Be sure to cover the whole decal especially
around the edges. The Solvaset usually works its way
under the decal pretty good.
At this point you should put the model down and let this
decal dry. If you are confident enough you may apply
more decals, but remember the decal you just applied is
very fragile. If you touch it before it dries you will
probably ruin it.
Sometimes the Solvaset makes the decal appear as if it
is wrinkling up. This is normal. The decal will set flat
on the model when it dries. When the decal does wrinkle,
keep an eye on it. If it appears the wrinkle is not
coming out on its own you may have to get those wrinkles
out. Before you attempt to move the decal, carefully
brush on some warm water (no more than a 1/2 drop or
so).
Carefully use your paint brush to drag the decal from
the outer edges away from the center of the wrinkled
area. The decal's position on the model should not be
compromised by this. You should only have to move part
of the decal a distance equal to the thickness of the
wrinkle.
After the decal dries, inspect it for air bubbles that
you missed the first time. If there are any, make a tiny
hole in the decal with a pin and brush on some Solvaset
making sure it gets in the hole and under the decal. The
Solvaset will soften the decal again and make it set to
the surface of the model. Since the decal is soft and
wet again you should allow it to dry. Drying times may
vary. I recommend at least an hour or so. Usually I will
let them dry about an hour before I apply another decal
unless I know I can do it without disturbing the one I
just applied.
Finally, I recommend a gloss or dull coat be applied by
air brush or spray can to the model after all the decals
have been applied and have dried. This will help "hide"
the decal edges and make your model look realistic.
After you have practiced these methods a few times and
develop some of your own, you will be able to produce
models of superior quality.